A Quiet Lunch
by Nowanda
Summary: A short ficlet concerning Snape and an idolizing student. Friendship fic. No romance involved sorry fangirls.


**2/12/07**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own Snape or any part of JK Rowling's works. I do own the character of Gabrielle, also known as Gabby.

**Title:** A Quiet Lunch

**Summary:** A short ficlet concerning Snape and an idolizing student. Friendship fic. No romance involved; sorry fangirls.

**Start:**

The clammy dungeon reverberated with the sounds of its busy students. Professor Severus Snape strolled about, casting his ever watchful eye upon the famous Harry Potter and company; they were known to stir up trouble.

"Potter! We are not brewing beer! Throw out that awful mess and do not start again. You will receive no marks for today," Snape ordered Harry.

Malfoy shared a smirk with a classmate, Gabrielle. She in turn snickered, and Harry shot a glare in their general direction.

"Looks like Potty's been caught for being the drunk he is!" Gabrielle, usually known as Gabby to her friends, commented.

The Slytherins laughed quietly, earning a small smile from the great Professor himself.

Harry sneered at Malfoy and Gabby, and turned back to cleaning his cauldron.

The rest of class finished uneventfully, with no other interruptions except for the usual Neville nuisances. The bell signaled, and almost all of the students filed out the door towards lunch.

Gabby lingered behind, deliberately packing up her things slowly.

"Professor Snape, if I may, would it be all right for me to stay down here for a while?" she calmly and somewhat nervously questioned.

Snape had been walking around the classroom, inspecting it for any forgotten mess. At the sound of Gabby's voice, he angled his face towards her with a surprised look.

"Is there any problem, Miss Lara? I trust you haven't had trouble during class, or you would have not hesitated to ask questions. What is it that you want?" he drawled.

Gabby's cheeks flushed a tiny bit. "Oh, there's no problem, Professor," she managed to utter, "I was just thinking of the mindless dribble I will have to deal with during lunch. I figured it would be a better time to stay down in the dungeons with you, since you haven't been at lunch lately. I've noticed."

Snape casually walked towards his student. He could tell that she looked up to him, and could most definitely use the support from students to once again apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts course next year. Not that he actually cared too much about some silly young girl's feelings.

"Well, Miss Lara, for your information I have been working on matters that are none of your concern," he responded. He noticed the sadness creep into her eyes, and sighed.

"As long as you promise not to bother me incessantly, I will permit you to stay. I expect you to help if I ask. There will be no annoyances, do you understand?"

Gabby tried to hide her joy. She, and most of the other Slytherins, knew about the Professor's expertise in Occlumency and Legilmency.

Snape sighed, and turned back to his work. Gabby took one last look at her possessions, and then procured a sandwich and juice from the air.

"Ah, now that I have food, I'm set," she said, as she sat down to begin her meal.

Snape continued searching and cleaning his classroom, and returned to his desk. He opened a drawer, and removed a small brown bag. First a napkin came out, to be placed on the desk, and shortly after followed pasta with meat sauce and a goblet of some liquid. It was rather hard to tell what Snape had in this cup.

The two settled into their meals, and began a casual conversation. Gabby impressed the professor with her knowledge of potions and spells, and she in turn was delighted with the growing friendship between her and her mentor.

When they had both finished eating, Gabby packed up what was left of her meal.

"It was decently intriguing dining with you. Come back tomorrow," Snape told Gabby.

"Of course, Professor Snape," she replied, and left the dungeons. As she walked up the stairs, she smiled to herself.

"I can't wait until tomorrow," she softly murmured.

**Fin.**


End file.
